Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors

As the Acting Commissioner of the Northern Territory Police Force, I am proud of the work that our Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspectors (PALI’s) do and how they contribute to the prevention and reduction of alcohol-related harm in our community. 

Since the introduction of PALI’s in Alice Springs, Tennant Creek and Katherine, we have seen firsthand the positive impact, not only in the drop in alcohol-related assaults, but reductions in hospital admissions, protective custody apprehensions and improved community amenity in public areas. 

The figures are undeniable: 

• Financial year-on-year statistics show reductions in alcohol-related assaults down by 24% across the entirety of the Northern Territory and reductions of up to 40% in Alice Springs, 32% in Tennant Creek and 6% in Katherine. 
• Alcohol-related Hospital Admissions across the Northern Territory are down compared with the previous financial year 
• For the month of July 2019 we saw a 38% reduction in protective custody episodes across the Northern Territory. These reductions are higher when we look Alice Springs and Tennant Creek region which saw a 55.8% reduction and Katherine region which saw a 56.6% reduction compared with July 2018. 
• In the 2018/19 financial year there were 4451 less alcohol-related incidents in Alice Springs compared with the previous financial year, a 39.4% reduction. This trend continued in Tennant Creek and Katherine with 725 less alcohol-related incidents in Tennant Creek, a reduction of 18.5% and 768 less alcohol-related incidents in Katherine, a reduction of 14.4% compared with the previous financial year. 

Next Friday, Police Auxiliary Liquor Inspector Squad 60 will graduate from their recruit training phase. These officers fulfil the commitment of 75 PALI’s which will complement existing officers already deployed. 

The unfortunate recent commentary about PALI’s in Alice Springs is disappointing. It does not reflect the tireless efforts of the men and women of the Northern Territory Police Force to address the harm that alcohol causes within our community. 

Our dedicated officers turn out each and every day to serve and protect the Northern Territory community and we will remain relentless in our efforts to build and maintain a safer Northern Territory. 

Michael Murphy APM 
Acting Commissioner of Police